{"id":2309054,"date":"2024-07-26T06:06:02","date_gmt":"2024-07-26T10:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-keeps-democrats-guessing-on-supreme-court-changes-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-07-26T06:10:42","modified_gmt":"2024-07-26T10:10:42","slug":"biden-leaves-democrats-uncertain-about-supreme-court-changes-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-leaves-democrats-uncertain-about-supreme-court-changes-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden leaves Democrats uncertain about Supreme Court changes &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbiden-leaves-democrats-uncertain-about-supreme-court-changes-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2309054&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses how the\u200d Biden\u200b administration\u2064 is \u2062keeping its plans \u200dfor potential changes to the Supreme Court\u2062 under \u200cwraps, even as various Senate Democrats express a \u200ddesire for more\u2063 input on the\u2064 proposals. Despite weeks of speculation, many\u2062 Democrats\u2064 on the \u2063Senate \u200dJudiciary Committee, including\u200b Chairman Dick Durbin,\u2064 have stated they have not been consulted by \u2062the\u2062 White\u2062 House.\u2064 The administration appears to be communicating primarily with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a notable advocate for court \u200coversight. President Biden emphasized the necessity of Supreme \u200dCourt reform during a recent speech, addressing issues like the Court&#8217;s perceived bias and the need for a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/amy-coney-barrett-says-formal-supreme-court-ethics-code-a-good-idea\/\" title=\"Barrett supports formal ethics code for Supreme Court.\">formal ethics code<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/oregons-new-secretary-of-state-democrat-caught-hosting-birthday-gathering-in-defiance-of-governors-covid-orders\/\" title=\"Oregon\u2019s New Secretary Of State (Democrat) CAUGHT Hosting Birthday Gathering In Defiance Of Governor\u2019s Covid Orders\">term limits<\/a> for justices. While there is enthusiasm among \u2062some Senate Democrats \u2062regarding these\u200b proposals, they have urged the White House\u2062 for better collaboration \u2064as they push for reforms, particularly ahead \u200dof\u2062 the upcoming\u2062 elections.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Biden keeps Democrats guessing on Supreme Court changes as some seek input<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1705694\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The White House is keeping its work on proposed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3098344\/biden-supreme-court-reform-plan-appears-at-standstill\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"changes to the Supreme Court\">changes to the Supreme Court<\/a> under wraps from key Senate Democrats even as some seek to offer their two cents on policies they would play a crucial role in passing during President Joe Biden&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3099992\/white-house-pressed-on-biden-decision-exit-2024-race\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"final months in office\">final months in office<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Several Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee surveyed by the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> said they have not heard from the White House on the matter despite <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/3086879\/which-supreme-court-reforms-biden-back\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"weeks of reports\">weeks of reports<\/a> on the subject, including panel Chairman Dick Durbin (D-IL).<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t heard anything directly from the White House,&rdquo; Durbin, the chamber&rsquo;s second-ranking Democrat as majority whip, said.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, the White House appears to be leaning on a single Senate Democrat who, like Durbin, is a longtime advocate of implementing oversight measures on the high court: Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to characterize it, but yeah, we were in touch,&rdquo; Whitehouse told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Informed that fellow Democrats on the committee have not been in contact with administration officials, Whitehouse reiterated, &ldquo;We were.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The White House did not respond to a request for comment or whether it has engaged with other lawmakers on the subject.<\/p>\n<p>In his first remarks since dropping out of the presidential race, Biden on Wednesday laid out policy goals for his final few months as president in a speech from the Oval Office. Among them was Supreme Court reform.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to call for Supreme Court reform because this is critical to our democracy,&rdquo; Biden said.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/scotus-overturns-chevron-doctrine-upends-administrative-state\/\" title=\"SCOTUS Overturns Chevron Doctrine, Upends Administrative State\">high court&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s rightward slant that solidified under former President Donald Trump for years to come has fueled progressive calls for adding seats to the nine-justice body in a bid to, as Democrats describe it, level the playing field in the courtroom. Recent failures by justices to disclose lavish gifts from conservative GOP donors or proceeds made outside their government roles, as well as declining to recuse themselves from cases where Democrats have claimed they have conflicts of interest, have exacerbated Democratic demands for Congress to impost ethics laws.<\/p>\n<p>Biden&rsquo;s work-in-progress proposal reportedly includes endorsing term limits for justices and a legally enforceable ethics code, which would take precedence over the high court&rsquo;s self-imposed ethics pledge. The prospects of such measures becoming law in a divided Congress are virtually zero, but the legislation would energize Democrats&rsquo; base just months before the election.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t be happier that they&rsquo;re moving in this direction,&rdquo; Whitehouse said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s time, and I think that Vice President Harris will be completely on board and maybe even [give] a little bit more oomph.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting with Democratic lawmakers in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. (AP Photo\/Evan Vucci)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Other Democrats are likewise prepared to embrace such proposals, but some prodded the White House for better collaboration with Capitol Hill. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I hope to have conversations with them because I am all for court reform,&rdquo; Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;I have discussion drafts on some of those kinds of bills, and I&rsquo;ve signed on to some of those bills.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) advocated term limits, replacing justices on a staggered basis, and enforceable ethics because he said the court &ldquo;acts as though it&rsquo;s responsible to no one.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I anticipate we&rsquo;ll be having a robust conversation over these next few weeks,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Sens. Peter Welch (D-VT) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA) were also not contacted by the White House.<\/p>\n<p>Other Democrats not on the Judiciary Committee, such as Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), want the party to go far further by packing the high court with four new justices.<\/p>\n<p>But no matter Biden&rsquo;s ultimate policy endorsements, the court&rsquo;s most ardent defenders on the Republican side of the aisle are vowing to stop all reforms in their tracks.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a separate branch,&rdquo; Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;Keep the nose of Congress and the administration out of it.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said the only measure he would greenlight is his constitutional amendment to ensure there will never be more than nine justices.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Carrie Severino, a former law clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas and head of the conservative legal advocacy group Judicial Crisis Network, assailed Biden for weighing any changes.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Biden seems intent on pleasing his dark money benefactors with his pledge to pursue so-called court reform,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;While he is still short on specifics, we can expect him to try to do an end run around the Constitution in his farewell effort to destroy the court.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><em>Haisten Willis contributed to this report. <\/em><\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1705694\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1705694\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Biden Leaves Democrats Uncertain About Supreme Court Reforms While Some Request Involvement<\/p>\n<p>The White House is maintaining secrecy regarding its proposed changes to the Supreme Court, even as several key Senate Democrats express a desire to contribute their opinions on policies that would be essential for passing during President Joe Biden&#8217;s remaining time in office. According to a survey conducted by the Washington Examiner, multiple members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, including Chairman Dick Durbin (D-IL), have reported a lack of communication from the White House on this issue, despite ongoing discussions in the media. Durbin, who is the second-ranking Democrat in the Senate, stated, &#8220;I haven\u2019t heard anything directly from the White House.&#8221; Instead, it seems the administration is primarily consulting with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a long-time proponent of oversight measures for the Supreme Court. Whitehouse confirmed to the Washington Examiner that he has been in contact with the White House, but when informed that other committee members had not, he reiterated, &#8220;We were.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The White House did not respond to inquiries about whether it has engaged with other lawmakers on this topic. In his first comments since exiting the presidential race, Biden outlined his policy objectives for the final months of his presidency in an Oval Office speech, which included a call for Supreme Court reform. &#8220;I\u2019m going to call for Supreme Court reform because this is critical to our democracy,&#8221; Biden stated. The court&#8217;s conservative shift, solidified during Donald Trump&#8217;s presidency, has intensified progressive calls for expanding the number of justices to create a more balanced judicial system. Recent controversies surrounding justices failing to disclose gifts from conservative donors and not recusing themselves from cases with perceived conflicts of interest have further fueled Democratic demands for ethics regulations.<\/p>\n<p>Biden&#8217;s evolving proposal reportedly includes advocating for term limits for justices and a legally enforceable ethics code that would take precedence over the court&#8217;s self-imposed ethics guidelines. While the likelihood of such measures passing in a divided Congress is slim, they could energize the Democratic base ahead of the upcoming elections. Whitehouse expressed his support for this direction, stating, &#8220;I couldn\u2019t be happier that they\u2019re moving in this direction. It\u2019s time, and I think that Vice President Harris will be completely on board and maybe even [give] a little bit more oomph.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Other Democrats are also open to these proposals but have urged the White House for better collaboration with Congress. Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) expressed her eagerness for discussions, noting her support for court reform and her involvement in drafting related bills. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) advocated for term limits and enforceable ethics, arguing that the court &#8220;acts as though it\u2019s responsible to no one.&#8221; He anticipates &#8220;a robust conversation over these next few weeks.&#8221; Senators Peter Welch (D-VT) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA) also reported no contact from the White House.<\/p>\n<p>Some Democrats outside the Judiciary Committee, like Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), are pushing for more extensive reforms, including adding four new justices to the Supreme Court. However, regardless of Biden&#8217;s final policy decisions, Republican defenders of the court are committed to blocking any reforms. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) emphasized the separation of powers, stating, &#8220;Keep the nose of Congress and the administration out of it.&#8221; Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) indicated that he would only support a constitutional amendment to maintain the current number of justices at nine.<\/p>\n<p>Carrie Severino, a former law clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas and head of the conservative Judicial Crisis Network, criticized Biden for considering any changes, claiming he is trying to appease his wealthy supporters with his push for &#8220;court reform.&#8221; She warned that he may attempt to circumvent the Constitution in his final efforts to undermine the court<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3108,"featured_media":2309055,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/biden-supreme-court-changes.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[3620,3685,32275,15390,32076],"class_list":["post-2309054","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-biden","tag-democrats","tag-supreme-court","tag-uncertainty","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/biden-supreme-court-changes.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2309054","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3108"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2309054"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2309054\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2309055"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2309054"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2309054"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2309054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}